Oh, the Places You’ll Go: BAP Does Atlanta!

By: Kaleigh Timmons

On February 8, our BAP senior officers, KaleighTimmons, Madelyn Ronan, John Sheehan, Nina Figetakis, and Brianna Keranne, and Dr.Marcy, packed up two cars in front of Brennan Hall and headed to Atlanta, GA to attend and present at the BAP Mid-YearMeeting, Embracing Innovation, Empowering Professionals. After our flight from the Newark Airport to the Atlanta Airport, we visited Rreal Tacos for a delicious dinner out on the patio.

Prior to the first session of the conference on February 9, we visited the Atlanta Breakfast club for brunch and then headed to World of Coca-Cola. Here, we explored the fascinating story of Coca‑Cola–the world’s best-known beverage brand. We enjoyed fun exhibits, including Beverage Lab,where we were able to develop and taste our own soda flavors, and Taste It!, were we got to try a variety of different beverages from different countries around the world.

At the start of the conference, we participated in the Warmth for All service activity, donating socks to those in need. The Plenary session included keynote speaker, DanielleBrannock, Manager of Internal Audit Data Analytics at Intuitive Surgical,who discussed her career journey and left us feeling inspired and excited to bring back new ideas and information to our chapter.

In the afternoon, we broke into groups to participate in a leadership activity where we had to put our communication and planning skills to the test. Some of our members had the opportunity to serve as “auditors” during the activity. We all learned how to work in teams with new individuals and adapt. Followingthe leadership activity, we attended two more professional development sessions.Our officers attended sessions covering effective communication, soft skills, and negotiations skills; ethical decision making; and CPA Exam study tips and strategies.

Friday night, we got to go out and explore Atlanta. We went to the Puttshack for dinner and a round of mini golf. For those who have never heard of Puttshack, it is a tech-infused 9-hole mini golf course, where your ball tracks your game play, and you can earn (or lose) points based on how you play.Kaleigh came out on top as the champion!

On February 10, the final day of the conference, President, Kaleigh Timmons, and Social Engagement Director, Brianna Kerrane, presented in Chapter Operations on the topic of Engaging Professional Development Activities for Member Retention. It was an incredible experience and gave us an opportunity to share our strategies with other BAP chapters.

To conclude the conference, we attended a business etiquette luncheon and closing session before heading back to the airport for our flight home. Overall, the conference was an incredible experience for our officers. Every BAP Mid-Year and Annual Meeting teaches us so much and allows us to help our Nu Kappa Chapter to continue to flourish.